#Relations {Arianllyn; Adaon}

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“The minstrel boy to the war is gone In the ranks of death you'll find him His father's sword he has girded on And his wild harp slung behind him... ‘Land of Song’ said the warrior bard ‘Tho' all the world betrays thee One sword at least thy rights shall guard One faithful harp shall praise thee’... The minstrel fell but the foeman's chain Could not bring his proud soul under The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again For he tore its chords asunder... Said ‘No chain shall sully thee Thou soul of love and brav'ry Thy songs were made for the pure and free They’ll never sound in slavery’... ‘Land of Song’ Said the warrior bard ‘Tho’ all the world betrays thee Thy songs were made for the pure and free They’ll never sound in slavery’... ‘Land of Song’ said the warrior bard ‘Tho' all the world betrays thee One sword at least thy rights shall guard One faithful harp shall praise thee’... Said ‘No chain shall sully thee Thou soul of love and brav'ry Thy songs were made for the pure and free They’ll never sound in slavery’...”

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"I left the town and wandered on Through fields all green and gay And whom shall I meet but a cailín sweet At the dawning of the day... No cap or cloak this maiden wore Her neck and feet were bare Down to the ground in ringlets fell her glossy golden hair A milking pail was in her hand She was lovely young and gay She wore the palm from Venus bright By the dawning of the day... On a mossy bank, I sat me down With the maiden by my side With gentle word he courted her Asked her to be his bride..."

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

Had Adaon lived, and they’d gotten married, the pair would have sailed together with Taliesin and Gwydion to the Summer Country. 

Had the voyage of the Children of Don not been necessary, though, and they remained in Prydain, Arianllyn would have died several decades before Adaon. They would have raised a family and grown old together, but Adaon still would have had to face at least 30 or 40 years without her before his own death.

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Headcanon; Eiluned & Arianllyn

When Taran & Eilonwy are expecting their first child, Taran has a dream where Adaon & Coll come to him. They tell him to name the children Eiluned & Elyan. Taran asks why, but the two men only smile. This does cause him to unwittingly name the twins after his parents.

In survival verses, this brings Eiluned and Elyan to tears. 

Additionally, in the dream, Adaon asks Taran to take a message from him to Arianllyn. Taran does this, and Arianllyn breaks down over it.

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

Shortly after Arianllyn's 18th birthday, she was on her way to visit her grandmother, and was chased by raiders on her way back. She and her horse were both injured, Arianllyn getting the worst. The horse took them to Medwyn's Valley, and he nursed them both back to health.

Arianllyn loved it there, and helped him look after the animals. She even learned to understand them there, like Gwydion did with the Gwythaint. And Medwyn saw in her the same thing he saw in Taran, and like Taran, offered to let her stay. But she said she couldn't at the time.

When they headed back to Caer Dathyl, they came across Huntsmen, and Adaon- who had been searching for her- came to save her. Her horse was killed, but Adaon and Arianllyn escaped.

This moment was the one that started changing Arianllyn's view of Adaon. It was the moment she actively began lying to herself about how she felt for him instead of just pretending he meant no more to her than anyone else.

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

By the time Arianllyn was 20, times on the farm had gotten so hard that she and her father were talking about sending her to Commot Gwenith to live and work with her grandmother. However, Adaon, who was a dear friend to the father and daughter by then, came and offered her a home in Caer Dathyl. High King Math and Prince Gwydion had both given their permission, if it was what they wanted.

Arianllyn was hesitant, but in the end, they both agreed. And she returned to the north with Adaon.

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

When she was 16, Arianllyn first met Adaon. He was on his way to visit King Smoit, an errand for Gwydion and Math, and stopped in her village to rest. She was weaving with the other women, and he stopped to help a younger girl who was struggling. She was crying, and he comforted her and showed her an easier way to do it. They didn't speak that first time, but he saw her on his way back through. And this time they did speak, for quite a long time.

He was immediately smitten with her, and she admired his gentleness. But, due to her childhood betrayal, she denied her feeling for him for years. It wasn't until she was 21 that she admitted she loved him. They began courting, and got engaged two years before Adaon's death, when she was 25.

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

Though Arianllyn trusts Gwydion without question, she does sometimes wonder about his judgement and ability to assess character, especially when there’s a nostalgic bond involved. This was mainly with Morgant, but Pryderi as well.

From the moment she first set eyes on Morgant, she distrusted him, no matter what Adaon, Taliesin, Gwydion, or Math said. It may have been due to her increased perception and foresight from the brooch, but she knew there was something cruel and cunning in his nature. She likened him to Goryon and Gast, but far worse. She never made her opinions known, but when she heard he was going on the mission with Gwydion and Adaon, her fear only grew. Adaon himself came to understand her concerns from the moment he first put it on.

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

As Orddu told Taran in BC, Menwy's brooch must be given freely, or it loses its powers.

As such, it has been passed down in Arianllyn's family since Menwy gave it to his own child, and so it went for generation upon generation. Arianllyn got it from her father Bedwyr, who in turn got it from his father Berwyn, etc.

The first time it left the family was when Arianllyn gave it to Adaon, who then gave it to Taran upon his death, who then traded it to Orddu for the Black Cochran. The brooch's fate after that is unknown, but it is likely that it vanished out of Prydain when Arawn was defeated, along with Orddu, Orwen, Orgoch, Dallben, the Children of Don, the Fair Folk, Medwyn, and all other magic.

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

Arianllyn does very little to change the barrow that Taran, Eilonwy, and Gurgi dug for Adaon. She knows it was done out of love and loyalty, and that her beloved would have preferred the simple grave to a marvelous crypt like those of the kings.

She merely tends it, keeping weeds out, planting and tending to flowers, leaving offerings, and other general upkeep.

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Headcanon; Arianllyn

Part of the reason that Arianllyn choose to live near Adaon’s grave instead of with Taran and Eilonwy at the rebuilt Caer Dathyl is because everything that remotely made it home is gone. Adaon, Taliesin, Gwydion, and Math are all never coming back. Her mother died there, leaving her an orphan. The Hall of Lore and the Hall of Bards are destroyed. 

And destroyed as well were the stone statues Adaon carved as portraits of her and placed in the gardens, courtyards, and corridors. She can’t face seeing those beautiful pieces of his devotion shattered. To her, it’s like losing him all over again, as it was the last tangible thing she had of him. 

It’s easier for her to be near his burial mound than to see the ruins of her home reflecting the ruin her life has become.

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Tag Drop; Arianllyn

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